Alain Remy has been France’s ambassador to Ukraine for more than a year.
He arrived after a tense episode when his predecessor Jacques Faure ran afoul of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry for his criticism of the criminal prosecutions of political opponents in Ukraine. In an interview with the Kyiv Post, Remy shared his thoughts on whether the incident had been resolved. He also talked about the state of French-Ukrainian relations and growing cultural ties, including an exhibition of 18th century works by Ukrainian sculptor Johann Georg Pinzel in the Louvre.
Kyiv Post: How are bilateral relations between Ukraine and France?
Alain Remy: They certainly could be better. There is a continuous dialogue at the political level between France and Ukraine. Contacts are going on at high levels. But we wish they could be more intense, because on other aspects we have a much closer relationship, much more cooperation with Ukraine than today on the political side.
KP: Has the row over previous French ambassador to Ukraine healed?
AR: We consider there was no flap. My predecessor left after his three-year tenure, it’s perfectly logical and normal. I was nominated in Paris long before the summer 2011 incident occurred. Of course this is a sorry story, but I consider it over. It’s been over since I arrived and I don’t want to talk about it anymore because this is something that has not been a happy end for him but which was groundless.
KP: Would France repeat its decision from the 2008 NATO Bucharest summit – blocking a membership action plan to Ukraine – with respect to signing the European Union-Ukraine association agreement?
AR: It’s not a question of repeating, you cannot compare – these are totally different organizations, what is at stake is totally different. The Association Agreement is not membership in the European Union, but something which will bring Ukraine as close as possible.
KP: Do you think there could be a misleading image of Ukraine in Europe slowing down the association process?
AR: …it’s true that the image of Ukraine is not good, not only in France. But there are many good things that deserve to be shown about Ukraine.
KP: How did the recent parliamentary elections results affect EU-Ukrainian relations?
AR: We had a very mixed assessment on the campaign. There were irregularities, some phases which are not what we consider democratic: in the counting, in the way the tabulation was made, in the way the situation was managed in some voting centers. But the result is a real change from before: you have a wider political spectrum, more parties in the parliament, less seats for the governing party, you have in Kyiv a … number of deputies from opposition parties. I want to stress that the major winner in these elections is civil society, the Ukrainian voters, because they expressed their political will.
KP: How is construction of the new safe confinement for Chornobyl nuclear reactor by French construction company Navarka going?
AR: For the first time they drew this first element to top of the arch, they put it on the first level of pillars. There was a major operation, it went successfully and I think that this Navarka project so far is a very successful one. I’m happy because it’s good for Chornobyl, for the population around this fourth reactor that will be covered in a very proper way. It’s a state-of-the-art project, what they are doing is something which has never been done before.
KP: How did French audience perceive Pinzel’s works and what value do you think this exhibition carries?
AR: I think the response by the public is a fantastic one. When we had the opening with the president of the Louvre and minister of culture (of Ukraine Mykhailo Kulyniak) you had a queue of people lining up, French and Ukrainian alike. One of the major French newspapers that doesn’t specialize in culture, Le Monde, had a nearly whole page (about the exhibition.) This is certainly a favorite way for us to create and reinforce links between countries. We attach a big impact and importance to cultural diplomacy.
Kyiv Post staff writer Maryna Irkliyenko can be reached at [email protected].
